Reflections on the Outback
November 2008
The outback of Australia is a wilderness of red dust and sparse bush consisting of relatively spindly trees, in an expansive magnitude that is hard to grasp, even for those who have travelled the distance across the centre of the country. It is hard to imagine plant life can even exist in these extreme conditions, which reach temperatures of over 45 degrees in the summer and below freezing in the winter nights, with very little rainfall, not to mention the ready threat of bush fire.
Water is not just scarce, it is vital for survival. Nature has adapted in a most incredible way, however. The larger stronger trees that can be seen can be up to a hundred years old or more, and began as little more than twigs on the surface. It is the roots of these plants which are the key. They have dug and delved deeper and deeper into the arid ground, reaching 50-60 metres to tap into the water source far below.
I have only been camping in the outback for the best part of 2 weeks, if that now, and already my water bottle is my most treasured companion. I drink litres and litres continuously, but I am not satisfied. It soon loses its coolness in the heat, and my thirst is not quenched, but I must keep drinking to avoid the danger of dehydration. I have never appreciated water so much as I do in this barren desert landscape.
I realise I have never truly experienced thirst.
And from that, I cannot look at this expanse around me and not think of another kind of thirsting. A longing for satisfaction, an aceing discontent that seethes inside telling me I am not who I could be. A furrowing for deeper meaning in the lives we live now, that eternal restlessness that Augustine spoke of, which penetrates to our very souls.
It is in this seemingly barren place that I have been struck by the need, not to blossom above ground for the naked eye to see, but to look towards my roots, and slowly, patiently, dig deeper, drive down further, to that source which is ‘living water’ (John 4), though the outside world may not see it.
Do I have that kind of thirst? Am I even capable of it?
And perhaps, most importantly, how deep am I willing to go..
